The enlighted Brotherhood of St. Origines
Back to Gallowglass The enlighted Brotherhood of St. Origines or the Ordos fratrorum illustrium Sancti Originis Based on the orders of St. Origines the enlighted Brotherhood is a fraternal community of clergymen devoted to pastoral work. Its brethren maintain missions and monasteries throughout the whole Imperium, as well as hospitals, orphanages and schools. The members of the Brotherhood are renowned for excelling in the roles of teachers and scholarly advisors as they show deep insight to the words and signs of the divine Emperor, therefore taking up positions in Ecclesiarchical institutions and in the high councils of imperial nobility. The brethren can also be found accompanying military crusades or settlers or even taking up service on the ships of the Imperial Navy. For its pastoral work the Brotherhood has an outstanding reputation based on the capability of its preachers and confessors, who in many cases are sought out by conscience-stricken sinners plagued with pangs of remorse. Members and Conections The Brotherhood welcomes qualified clerics and scholarly adepts to its ranks anytime, but is foremost a highly regarded place of theological teachings, bringing forth scholarly educated clergymen and adepts. After serving for five harsh years in novitiate, the novices receive their first ordination to priesthood and gain the status of initiates. After that the new initiates can choose to remain a further year within the chapter to finally obtain the admission to take the vows of the Brotherhood, or start their careers as adepts or clerics in the service of the Ecclesiarchy. The enlighted Brotherhood of St. Origines wields a good deal of power and influence as some high ranking members of the Ecclesiarchy derive from that chapter. Ill-minded spirits find a strong contribution to the influence and wealth of the Brotherhood in the fact, that members of noteworthy noble houses willingly attend to the brethren to confess their sins. Sources and History The enlighted Brotherhood of St. Origines is a well integrated chapter to the vast organization of the Ecclesiarchy and one of its eldest fraternal communities with a written history dating back to the Age of Rebirth (M31-M32). Nevertheless little is known about its beginnings and its founder Origines. Scholars of the Brotherhood and imperial historians place the origins of the chapter to a time before the Horus Heresy (M31) putting great emphasis to a central body of literature consisting of the books named “Hexalpa” and “Tetralpa”. The “Tetralpa” represents in many ways a summary of the “Hexalpa” , although differences regarding the contents can be found between the books. It seems like both works refer to some older text each stressing different parts of it. Both books are directly connected to St. Origines and regarded his works. Rumors tell that parts of the text, that represents the basis for the “Tetralpa” and “Hexalpa”, still exist in the vast archives of the Brotherhood and that it gives deep insight to the nature of the God- Emperor. The “Tetralpa” and “Hexalpa” both refer to the Emperor as the Saviour of Mankind and represent the spiritual foundation of the Brotherhood. Their contents have been kept unchanged ever since and up to now these sacred texts have been copied solely to paper and by hand, as it was ordered by St. Origines. As far as St. Origines himself is concerned only a small vita exists, which states that the Saint died as martyr on Benares Prime in the confusions of the Great Scouring during the Age of Rebirth. Before receiving martyrdom he congregated a small community of like- minded brethren and founded the ”Brotherhood”, handing on his spiritual teachings and works. The vita also states, that Origines came as a penitent to Benares Prime haunted by demons and seeking salvation. Led by the divine Emperor he found his redemption on Benares Prime after bathing in a spring. Built around this font is the monastery of “ The Emperor Salvator” representing the spiritual center of the Brotherhood up to these days. Restricted sources of the Brotherhood, the Holy Inquisition and the Ministorum indicate, that “Origines” might be a newer form of the old gothic name “Horigenes”, which itself could be a fusion of following terms “Horus gens” or “Horus gentis”, meaning as much as “son of Horus” or “stemming from Horus”. Indeed it is known, that in the time of the Horus Heresy some members of the Traitor Legions remained loyal to the Imperial cause. Nevertheless they were not distinguished from their traitorous brethern by Imperial forces leaving those loyalist completly sole. There was hardly a chance of survival during the following time of the Great Scouring as those loyalists were regarded renegade amongst their former chapterbrothers too, finding themselves finally hunted from both parties as traitors. Further speculations refer to the works of Origines, as they seem to be based on the “Lectitio Divinitatus” a book written before the Horus Heresy in the time of the Great Crusade (M31). It is said to have inspired the becoming of the Ecclesiarchy and the Imperial Cult. It is known to be the first source to mention the worship of the "Emperor of Mankind" as a god and is regarded the work of the Word Bearers Primarch Lorgar- a circumstance, that is hardly known. Taking this into account Origines might well be assumed to have been one of the “Sons of Horus”, who survived the events of Istvaan IV and remained loyal to the Emperor, spreading the word of his divinity from the very beginning on. There are of course other ways of interpretation, but it occures difficult to bring together properly all the pieces of information and to find a final conclusion about Origines´ person. Historical researches are furtheron aggravated by the fact, that the divine Emperor pronounced judgment on the traitors before being confined within the Golden Throne stating, that "...they were to be driven into the hellish region of the Eye of Terror, which would hold them for all eternity. All records and memories of the Traitor Legions were to be expunged from the Imperial archive...". Therefore contemporary documents of that period hardly exist, as they were simply erased making no difference between documents of loyal or renegade members of the so called Traitor Legions. In the end it remains questionable, if that little pieces of historical material, that have remained widespread across the galaxy could possibly ever make up for those losses in the aera of the Scouring or even prove themselves sufficient enough to disclose the occurnces around St. Origines in those long past days. Another scholarly and more common approach to the origins of the Brotherhood claimes St.Origines to be an outstanding member of an already prae-existant inspired confraternity on Benares Prime giving the long period of one millenium as a reason (M31). This amount of time is most likely beyond the lifespan of any individual of that period, save for the Emperor himself or his sons, the Primarchs, so that the becoming of the Brotherhood is regarded a long process, that can´t be awarded solely to one man. Very likely the compilation and study of texts had already had a central meaning in that confraternity then, as well as it can be assumed, that the original mould of text, that is regarded by inquisitorial sources as "Lectitio Divinitatus" already existed and most propably had found somehow its way to Benares Prime. St. Origines in this case would be an man as outlined in his vita, driven by heavy pangs of remorse and finally finding miraculous salvation. According to the believes of the Brotherhood he crossed the dark valley of death on Benares Prime, emerging from it enlightend by the divine Emperor with wisdom and deep insights. Before his martyrdom, St. Origines shaped the confraternity to the Brotherhood, giving rules as they still exist to these days, teaching the brethren, how to read and understand heavenly signs and writings properly. Thereby finally bringing forth the "Hexalpa" and "Tetralpa". The Cult The members of the Brotherhood usually wear black and white robes and attend to their duties as they are ordered by their superiors. Those duties are manifold like attending to the weak and sick, nourishing the hungry and teaching the words of the divine Emperor in pastoral care of the imperial flock, not only in their own facilities, but also in facilities of the Schola Progenium and in a lot of other Imperial Offices. The Emperor Salvator plays a main role in the teachings of the Brotherhood with strong references to the legend of "The enlightment of St. Origines" and the overcoming of his demons. The Brotherhood itself awaits from its brethren a strong commitment to hermeneutic and exegetic work, as well as contemplation and search for understanding of all forms of the imperial cult and especially holy texts, as finally everything around is regarded as something readable like a book. This religious approach is ascribed to the teachings of St. Origines and accompanied by the Saint´s order to compile wisdom and knowledge and to preserve it in written form. Thus building up the basis for systematic and deeper understanding of the divine Emperor´s plan and bringing forth holy deeds. This besides regular contemplative retreats is thought to be the way of achieving insight to divine revelations and a sure path, beyond any corruption. Over the millennia, following the teachings of St. Origines, the members of the Brotherhood build up valuable archives of wisdom and knowledge, themselves being not only keepers and teachers of the imperial flock, but also capable archivists of a knowledge, that is blessing and burden, both at the same time. Moreover certain of the brethren are regarded to be gifted with prophetic and visionary powers, as they are capeable interpreters of the Imperial Tarot and adept readers of divine and heavenly signs and miracles. Economy, Politics and Influence The Brotherhood enjoys an excelent standing in the Nobilitae, the Ecclesiarchy and amongst the citizens of the Imperium on general, thereby getting to know the promises of noteworthy donations. By that means and by the simple fact of the Brotherhood´s long existence the chapter plays an major economic and political role in many places of the Imperium. Not to mention the planets of the Ecclesiarchy, that stand under its direct custody, like the Shrineworld of Benares Prime. The remarkable number of Hierophants and Bishops deriving from the ranks of the brotherhood, the chapter´s Scholams combined with it´s pastoral work, which provide high quallified personnal to the institutions of the Imperium, brethren taking up roles of scholarly advisors in high councils or even in the retinues of several Inquisitors contribute to the the power and influence the Brotherhood wields. The Brotherhood´s rules nevertheless strongly oblige it to Ecclesiarchical Administration as it is bound to the will of the respective Ecclesiarch on Holy Terra. History shows, that Ecclesiarchs have made regullar use of the brethren in their very own ways, thereby often causing tensions in the ranks of the Ministorum. . Category:Gallowglass